


Pages and Pages

by makethestorylast



Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Multi, they cannot sleep, they deserve to be Soft, they deserve to be happy, xander reads to wilbur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25310746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makethestorylast/pseuds/makethestorylast
Summary: John is out on a mission and Wilbur and Xander can't sleep.
Relationships: Wilbur Cross/Xander Lee, Wilbur Cross/Xander Lee/John McNamara
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Pages and Pages

**Author's Note:**

> CW // non-graphic descriptions of injuries/death

Xander wasn’t having a good night.

That was to be expected, of course. John was out on a mission—he had been for a few days now—and he and Wilbur weren’t doing well. Xander couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten more than an hour of sleep, and he was starting to feel it.

He shifted onto his side and glanced at Wilbur, who was still staring at the ceiling and fidgeting with the edge of the comforter. Xander traced a line down his arm, stopping to lace their fingers together.

“Can’t sleep?” he mumbled. Wilbur turned his head and squeezed Xander’s hand. He didn’t say anything, but Xander understood. “Yeah, me neither.”

It’s not that he wanted to be awake, of course. But every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was John. John stumbling into headquarters, bleeding and bruised. John collapsing, hazy and out of it. John bleeding out, his grip on Xander’s hand loosening, his breathing slowing to a stop and his body going slack.

So needless to say, sleep wasn’t happening any time soon.

“What if he's hurt? What if he doesn’t come home?” Wilbur whispered, voicing Xander's thoughts.

“He will. He’s going to be alright.” Xander knew he couldn’t promise anything, but he couldn’t bear to worry about the alternative any more than he already had. No, he wasn’t going to dwell on that. “I don’t know about you, but laying here thinking isn’t helping.” He pushed himself up and stumbled over to the bookshelf, running a thumb down the line of books before stopping to pull out a battered, well-loved copy of  _ Pride and Prejudice _ . John’s favorite, though he'd never admit it.

He settled back on the bed, propping himself up against the wall. Wilbur curled up beside him, head on Xander’s chest and arms around his torso as he opened the book and started to read.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife…”

* * *

John got home a little after dawn, finally finished with his post-mission paperwork and ready to collapse in his own bed for the first time in nearly a week. He hung up his coat, kicked off his shoes, and slowly pushed open the door to their room.

He saw Xander and Wilbur tangled together on the bed, illuminated by the reading light on the nightstand. At one point, he was certain, they were sitting up, but now they were slumped over, Wilbur’s face pressed into Xander’s shoulder, arms wrapped around each other. John saw his copy of  _ Pride and Prejudice _ laying open on the edge of the bed, dangerously close to falling off, and moved it to the nightstand before clicking off the light.

He knew his husbands better than he knew himself. Odds are they hadn’t slept since he’d left, and he wasn't going to ruin what little sleep they were getting. He could sleep on the couch for a few hours, it’s the least he could do.

* * *

Xander shifted slightly and immediately winced, his neck and back stiff and sore. Something was pressing him down at a strange angle, pulling his muscles uncomfortably.

He opened his eyes and saw Wilbur with his arms still around him, fast asleep, the ghost of a smile still on his lips. Xander reached up and ran a hand through his hair before settling his arms back around Wilbur’s waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that it was nearly 8am. It was the first night in a while that they’d slept longer than a few hours.

He twisted his neck into a more comfortable position and let his eyes fall shut again, gently tracing circles on the small of Wilbur’s back. He could deal with this for a few more hours, of course he could. They needed the sleep, and who was he to disturb Wilbur when he looked so peaceful?

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to drop a comment/kudos if you enjoyed! <3
> 
> Tumblr: makethestorylast  
> Instagram: makethestorylast


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